These fudgy Salted Caramel Brownies use both Dutch-process cocoa powder and melted semi-sweet chocolate for a deep, cocoa-forward flavor. Silky homemade salted caramel is swirled through the middle and drizzled on top for pools of toffee-like caramel, then finished with flaky sea salt. An extra egg yolk keeps them dense and tender without turning them cakey. All you need is a heavy-bottomed saucepan and an 8×8 square pan to whip these up.

overhead view of salted caramel brownies on parchment paper with drizzled caramel and flaky sea salt on top

These salted caramel brownies have become a favorite in my house, and one bite explains why. They’re the bake-sale-worthy kind: fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth, and salty-sweet, with caramel that sticks to the roof of your mouth (in a good way, I promise). After three test batches, two changes made the biggest difference: an extra egg yolk for a dense, tender crumb instead of a cakey one, and layering the caramel between two layers of batter so it stays gooey instead of melting away.

ingredients needed to make salted caramel brownies

Cocoa Powder I’d Recommend

If you haven’t been put on to dutch-processed cocoa powder yet, let me introduce you to my little friend. This cocoa powder is richer, darker, and it tastes smoother, mellower, and less bitter than regular cocoa powder. Most people describe it as “more chocolate-y tasting”. For this recipe especially, it gives a rich, nearly black-brown brownie that looks as fudgy as it tastes! When buying dutch processed cocoa powder, check the label- it will say “cocoa processed with alkali” or “alkalized cocoa”.

Homemade or Store-Bought Caramel Sauce?

Honestly, this is up to you and what you have the time and capacity to do! Homemade salted caramel sauce is actually super easy to make- I have an entire blog post with the recipe + tips & tricks to making sure you make the best sauce. I promise it’s worth the ~20 minutes to make. Have leftover caramel? I got you- try this caramel coffee cake next!

That being said, if you don’t have time or the patience to make your own, buying store-bought jarred caramel sauce works as well.

Making Salted Caramel at Home

sugar in pot starting to clump up
In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar on medium-high. Use a heat-proof rubber spatula to stir the sugar to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom.
sugar starting to melt back into a caramelized color
The sugar will get lumpy at first, then turn liquid and a golden brown color. This can take anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes. Do NOT stop mixing during this step.
A saucepan with melted brown butter and a spatula resting inside on a white surface.
After the sugar has completely melted, there are no more clumps, and it’s a nice dark amber color, remove from the heat and add in the butter.
A saucepan of bubbling caramel being stirred with a silicone spatula on a white countertop.
Be careful because it should rapidly bubble at first. Use your spatula to stir the mixture for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar and butter come together. If they seem like they are separating, just continue to mix & it will eventually come together!
A pot of caramelizing sugar mixture bubbling on a stovetop, seen from above.
Put the mixture back on the heat and slowly add in the heavy cream while stirring, this should bubble as well. Let it boil/bubble for about 1 minute and then remove from heat. 
A saucepan filled with smooth, glossy caramel sauce on a white surface.
Add in the salt and vanilla, mixing to combine everything together. Allow the sauce to cool while you make the brownies.

My biggest homemade caramel takeaways include:

  • Use a heavy-bottomed pan- it spreads heat evenly and changes temperature slowly compared to cheap, thin non-stick pans. Caramel needs both, because sugar can go from amber to burnt in seconds. Get yourself a good heavy-bottomed pan for this!
  • Where most people mess up is the first part of making caramel, which is melting the sugar. It can burn easily, so my biggest tip is to not stop mixing the sugar while it melts. This means don’t put your spatula down and walk away, even for a minute! I have personally burnt caramel sauce before because I wasn’t paying enough attention. You can also reduce the heat to medium instead of medium-high, and tack on a few extra minutes to the cook time.
  • Use room temperature, softened butter and room temperature heavy cream. Adding cold butter and cream to the caramel will mess up the cooking process!

Fudgy Brownies Only

butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth
butter, chocolate, and sugar mixed together
Add this into a big bowl with the granulated sugar and mix, then add in your eggs and vanilla.
brownie batter with dry ingredients poured on top before mixed together
Stir in your dry ingredients until everything is just combined.
brownie batter in 9x9n pan with caramel sauce drizzled on top
In a lined 9×9 pan, layer a little more than half the brownie batter on the bottom, add some of the caramel sauce. I like to swirl it around with a knife to spread it evenly.
second layer of brownie batter on top
Finish with the rest of the brownie batter. Bake, cool, cut, and drizzle with MORE caramel sauce.
stack of 3 brownies on a white plate with dripping caramel sauce on top.

Tips & Tricks

  • Line your pan with parchment paper- this is not completely necessary, but I advise it because it makes taking your brownies out and cleaning up SO much easier.
  • Don’t overmix the batter- make sure when mixing the dry ingredients into the batter to not overmix. You ideally want to only mix until you no longer see streaks of flour/cocoa powder in the bowl. Overmixing can lead to dense brownies.
  • Don’t overbake the brownies- overbaking brownies will give you one thing- dry brownies. Which is the opposite of what we want! Make sure to bake them until they are just set, but not completely done.
  • Let them cool in the pan- brownies will continue to bake after you take them out of the oven, so allow them to cool in the pan. They also slice easier if you allow them to cool completely before serving.
overhead view of brownies cut into squares with drizzled caramel and flaky sea salt on top.

More Brownie & Bar Recipes

A close up of the fudge brownie that has a bite taken out of it sitting on parchment paper.

Fudge Brownies
Sheet of freshly dipped chocolate cover rice krispie Treats ready to eat!

Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Treats
strawberry rice krispie treats squares on white parchment paper surrounded by freeze dried strawberries

Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats
triple chocolate brownie square on white parchment paper surrounded by other brownies.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

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5 from 23 reviews

Double-Chocolate Salted Caramel Brownies

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Author: Kelly Nash
These fudgy Salted Caramel Brownies use both Dutch-process cocoa powder and melted semi-sweet chocolate for a deep, cocoa-forward flavor. Silky homemade salted caramel is swirled through the middle and drizzled on top for pools of toffee-like caramel, then finished with flaky sea salt. An extra egg yolk keeps them dense and tender without turning them cakey. All you need is a heavy-bottomed saucepan and an 8×8 square pan to whip these up.
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup (226 g) salted caramel sauce, homemade or storebought
  • 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 oz (113.4 g) semi-sweet chocolate bar, chopped (about ½ cup + 1 tbsp of chocolate)
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 (2) large eggs
  • 1 (1) egg yolk
  • 1½ tsp (1.5 tsp) vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (21.5 g) dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ¾ tsp (0.75 tsp) salt
  • flaky sea salt, for topping

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and 4oz of chopped chocolate on high for 30 seconds. Mix and then heat in 10 to 15-second intervals (mixing in between) until the mixture is smooth and melted together.
    10 tbsp unsalted butter, 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar
  • Once melted, add to a large bowl with the sugar and whisk until combined. Add in the eggs + yolk, as well as the vanilla extract.
    1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs , 1 egg yolk, 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Add the dry ingredients- flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Fold in with a rubber spatula until everything is just combined and there are no streaks of flour left.
    ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup dutch-processed cocoa powder, ¾ tsp salt
  • Pour a little over half the brownie batter into the pan, and then take 3/4 cup of the caramel sauce and spread over top. You can use a knife to swirl it into the brownies, just be careful not to go all the way to the edge. Top with the rest of the brownie batter.
    1 cup salted caramel sauce
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the brownie edges set and the center does not jiggle. You can test with a knife or toothpick, but the caramel centers may make it hard to see when the brownie portion is actually done.
  • Allow the brownies to cool completely (about 1 hour), drizzle the remaining caramel sauce on top, and cut into 12 squares! Finish with some flaky sea salt and enjoy!
    flaky sea salt

Notes

Using a 9×9 pan? The brownies will be thinner, so start checking for doneness at about 30 minutes.

Storing and freezing the brownies

  • Let the brownies come to room temperature. If you used parchment paper, carefully pull the brownies out of the pan- they should come out clean. 
  • Wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap then tin foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Don’t cut them before freezing.
  • Make sure to defrost the brownies on the counter before cutting them and drizzling your caramel on top.

Storing and freezing caramel sauce

  • After the caramel cools down completely, pour it into a glass jar or container and you can refrigerate it for up to 1 month. The caramel solidifies as it cools, but you can reheat it in the microwave or on the stove so it’s liquid again (for drizzling on your brownies later).
  • You can also freeze the salted caramel. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm up as I said above.
Serving: 1brownie, Calories: 283kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 224mg, Potassium: 114mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 374IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg
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